SC North JV stunning, then stunnedNorth Stars hand Lyons 1st loss but denied title try by SC East

By Steve Nemeth

ST. CHARLES -- Cue the old ABC Wide World of Sports open: “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”St. Charles North’s JV squad began Saturday morning with the thrill of being the first team this season to defeat Lyons and the only team to keep the Lions off the scoreboard.That 2-0 victory enabled the North Stars to finish atop their group and advance to the semifinals of the seventh annual St. Charles North JV Invitational.However, that semifinal ended in a crushing loss via shootout to crosstown rival St. Charles East that ended the North Stars season at 15-2-3.With ominous clouds and an ever-increasing weather threat, tournament officials tried bumping up start times which meant there was little chance for St. Charles North to relish its achievement over Lyons. After he stunning win, the North Stars went from the Stadium turf field to the short and narrow grass field behind the main bleachers to face the opposite pool runner-up Saints.While confidence remained high during a 1-0 halftime lead, the North Stars yielded the equalizer with around four minutes left in the second of the 30-minute halves. That meant proceeding directly to a shootout. East won the toss and elected to shoot first.As has been the case all season long for St. Charles East, Jack Settle took over the net-minding from Joshua Kennedy for the second half and stayed in the Saints goal for the shootout. The sophomore came up big with a save on North’s first try. After East converted, an attempt off the crossbar for the hosts was followed by Christian Pinto’s make for a 2-0 St. Charles East lead.Thomas Weber hit the back of the net to halve the North Stars deficit to 2-1. Then the host's goalkeeper, Nicholas “Niko” Ragano, blocked a shot in the air and then cradled it. After another miss, Ragano kept North's hopes alive with a highlight-worthy leg drag on his dive to stop the Saints’ fourth attempt.Unfortunately for the North Stars, their last try didn’t succeed and East’s 2-1 advantage led to a win that not only advanced the Saints, but avenged a regular season 2-0 loss between the two.“It’s disappointing in that we had a mental lapse that led to an outcome we didn’t want,” said Chris Dabaw. He was a separate story line that speaks volumes about St. Charles North’s program, loyalty and family concept.Game officials privately inquired if the youthful individual directing the North Stars was actually the person in charge. With JV coach Anne Poulin honoring a long-standing commitment, Dabaw returned to his alma mater to lend a hand. Having graduated from North two years before, the biomechanical sciences major at Marquette University has coaching aspirations for the future, though he could have been mistaken as a member of the team if not for different soccer shorts to go with his SCN T-shirt.In the brief aftermath of the win over Lyons, Dabaw explained the principle behind the morning success and continued that theme during the second postgame.“Before the game we talked about two things that would allow us to win: number one, mental toughness; and number two would be teamwork and togetherness,” Dabaw said. “We were still following that formula in the semifinal until the pressure mounted late in the half.

“Despite that breakdown, I was still very pleased to see how well the team adapted to the instructions I gave them, and how they also supported each other. You look at their final record, and it’s obvious they’ve grown together as a team from the start all the way through to this tournament, which provides a good capstone to the season.”In the semifinal, St. Charles East’s Tyler Filbert had a golden opportunity to score when North goalie Ragano rushed out and lost his footing, however, Nate Fiedler made an ESPN-esque Top 10 save. The shortest of the North Stars backline, Fielder timed his leap perfectly for a defensive header that flicked the shot over the crossbar.Not long after that, Filbert bent a direct free kick around a North defensive wall only to have Ragano dive to his left and bat the ball wide.The North Stars put together some textbook passing culminating with Colin Nelson sending the ball to Weber, whose touch enabled Matt Polovin to park a four-yarder.In the second half, headers by Polovin and Sebastian Haske sailed high.

At the opposite end, Filbert curled a blast that nearly dipped enough to find the upper right 90. But a scramble late in the half led to Renato Avendano scoring from the left side.“Renato’s equalizer was huge,” St. Charles East coach Wes Akers said. “He was playing through an injury and found a way to get it past two defenders.

“Ever since that 2-0 loss to North, our guys talked about facing them again. Even though we lost (3-0) to Naperville (North) to finish second in our group, I wasn’t disappointed. Aside from defending better on free kicks, we played well. We’ve used two keepers all season, and they’ve both been great. Being down 1-0 at half, we made an adjustment to get the equalizer.

“We practiced PKs every day for the last couple weeks, and I was convinced if we got a couple saves, we would definitely win because I trust our shooters.”St. Charles North's group title began with a goal in the 16th minute as Xander Jao set up Jake Nickel for an eight-yard, right-footed cannon volley past Lyons goalkeeper Cooper Bearman. Shortly before halftime, the North Stars got an unexpected boost when a red card resulted in the Lions having to play the rest of the match short-handed.

The North Stars also enjoyed the benefit of having the wind at their backs for the second half which made it difficult for Lyons to clear the ball. Haske had a solid shot blocked by Bearman but was too near the goal line for his follow-up that sailed up and over. Kraft sealed St. Charles North’s victory with a 28-yard missile that found the left side of the goal.

Following their semifinal loss to St. Charles East, the North Stars players were unable to muster too much enthusiasm in recalling the feelings from the key plays in the Lyons victory.“Seeing the pass coming from Xander, I just wanted to make solid contact for the goal,” Nickel said. “I didn’t really look for the keeper, but just wanted to bury it in the net. Beating them was nice but not because of their (unbeaten) record. We wanted that victory just like we wanted this last game.”“We had failed on a cross earlier and the ball rebounded out to Nolan (Sinnaeve), who flicked it my way and I just struck it home,” Kraft said with subdued enthusiasm over a first goal.

When it came to being the first keeper to prevent Lyons from scoring, Ragano insisted on sharing credit.

“That’s nice but it really was a whole team effort,” Ragano said. “There’s always great competition every year in this tournament, so we wanted to win it all.”

That was also the case for interim coach Dabaw, who competed in the same event during his prep career.

“It was a special experience for me. When I played freshman soccer, I was probably the last person anyone thought could be a coach. I never made varsity and was happy to make JV,” Dabaw remembered. “But by my senior year, I made captain, and we went out in the semis.

“It wasn’t just nostalgia, I had the same positive emotions when I found out I’d get a chance to coach in this tourney. I thought back on how much I enjoyed it and to get to relive it from a coaching standpoint was unique,” Dabaw added. “What makes this tourney unique is how it gets everyone up. For some, it’s the competitive aspect, for others who still have varsity aspirations, it’s a chance to prove themselves.”